It is with great sadness that we inform our readers that the Fall 2013 issue of "Digest of Psychiatry and Neurology" was the final issue after 81 years of continuous publication.

When the Digest began, it filled a unique need. We are proud of the global reach and the impact our publication has had; at one time, the Digest mailing list included 25,000 subscribers, with its readership extending not only throughout the United States and Canada but also to Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, South America and many other regions of the world. Over the years we have heard frequently from readers in third-world countries for whom the Digest was the primary source of continuing medical education. We gave it away for free whenever asked.

In the years since its inception, however, with the advent of new publishing technologies, a myriad of competing newsletters appeared. As our subscriptions steadily declined, we had to reconsider the Digest’s role and transitioned to an exclusively electronic quarterly publication in 2001. While we shortened the length of each issue, we hoped to provide greater value by focusing each on a single theme. As in the past, each review consisted of a concise synopsis, absent any editorializing and drawn from the leading English language journals. By publishing on the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital website, we aimed to maintain two additional traditional values: global outreach and free access.

In the years since 2001, the Digest has been joined by a myriad of electronic publications focusing on behavioral health. The plethora of online resources is such that the number of “hits” to the online Digest has declined steadily and has now reached the point where further publication is unwarranted.

We remain proud of the role we have played in psychiatric education over these many years but also cognizant of the dramatic changes in the availability of information and the way professionals learn. And so, with regret and gratitude, we say goodbye to our remaining readers, wishing you well in your efforts at continuing medical education.

As you will note, our last electronic edition focuses on suicide. This is in keeping with The Institute of Living’s Suicide Prevention Initiative, a major programmatic focus on suicide assessment and prevention that combines new research initiatives, clinical programming and advocacy efforts. This focus is in keeping with our growing concern about the increasing global threat which suicide presents.

One final word of thanks is in order, to Ms. Elizabeth Fishe, M.L.S., who has assisted with the Digest since 1979 and has been our Associate Editor since 1999. We would not have been able to maintain publication without her and we are very grateful for all her efforts.